Sunday: end of camping

Well, it rained quite a bit last night.  Joshua didn't sleep well in the rain and his fever continued.  We heard that the rain was going to get worse, so we packed up quickly and left first thing in the morning.  Isaac did a really good job keeping Joshua entertained, although we did have to bribe him with a donut.  It was nice to have two cars, because we could throw stuff in the cars must more quickly.

Joshua's fever continued all day. :(  We have started to get things dried out...hopefully it'll all be done within a few days.

Here are some pictures, in no particular order.

Walking with Ben:

Hammering in a stake.  He refused to hammer any stakes that would actually do anything.

Our campsite.  Ben and I slept in the little green tent.  The boys were in the blue tent.  Isaac had a sleeping bag and both duffle bags on his side.  The other side had Joshua's pack-n-play (with the diaper changer part) and a chair for feeding.  It worked really well...they had plenty of room.

Sleeping with the babies.

Jumping pillow.  Isaac loved this thing, although at this point in time there were too many kids on it for him to feel comfortable.

Looking cute.

More cuteness.

Enjoying the lawnmower.

Waiting for hobo pies.

Outside nap time.  I often have a hard time napping outside, but this time worked pretty well.

And Isaac running on the pillow.  He would go back and forth and back and forth...
 

Saturday: camping

So despite the threat of rain, it was a very nice day with only about five minutes of a light sprinkling.  It was rather cold in the morning, but nice in the afternoon.

Isaac played hard all day.  ALL day.  He bounced on the jumping pillow.  He bounced in the bounce house.  He slid down the slide.  He lawn mowed.  He played on the playground.  I think the only time he sat still was breakfast, second breakfast, and lunch.  He couldn't even stay seated for dinner, but I think by that time the problem might have been he was too tired.  Needless to say, he had a great time.

Joshua, on the other hand, seemed tired and sleepy all day.  I thought that he just had slept really poorly, but I finally thought I should take his temperature.  The poor guy had a fever.  We gave him some Tylenol and he seemed to perk up...enough that he stayed up way past his bedtime.  The fever never stayed away though.

Ben and I were able to enjoy some nice relaxing time.  Sure, we played with the kids but Joshua just wanted someone to sleep on and Isaac was able to play with two of the other kids that were there quite a bit.  (It is so much fun seeing Isaac play with them!)  We did some reading, napping, and talking.  The fire was perfect; there was no wind so the smoke mostly went up and the temperature was cool but not cold.

Friday: back

So, while going home for the day felt like cheating, it was a good call. It didn't rain a ton more, but by the time everything was done in the drier it was nap time. I don't think Joshua slept well last night, as he is a light sleeper, so sleeping in his own crib was good. Then by the time we got back everything was dryish and we could have fun.

Isaac,surprisingly, had a hard time falling asleep. I brought him out to the fire to snuggle with me, partly because it was still rather light and noisy and partly because he could help keep me warm. Hopefully Joshua will stay warm too, but I have him in a double fleece so I'm hopeful.

Thursday/Friday: camping and back seat driver

We've had a navigation system for the last few weeks in the car we're borrowing. Isaac repeats every single direction that the navigation lady says and I feel like I have a backseat driver...but he's usually right.

We were camping last night. The car got loaded up very quickly so the boys and I got there around noon. We set up the tents and enjoyed the campground. It was a great plan since it rained and rained and rained last night. So we came home for the day. The boys' tent was rather drippy so 1) I wanted to get some stuff dried and 2) I wanted a dry place to be. The rain is supposed to let up later and we'll go back and have fun.

(I brought Joshua a blanket to sit on. I'm pretty sure he is enjoying sitting anywhere except the blanket.)

Tuesday: 45 weeks

Joshua is 45 weeks.

Today we drew "clean fridge" and "do something nice for someone."

A: Who do you want to do something nice for?
I: CC
A: Do you want to make her some cookies?
I: yeah!

When we brought over the cookies Isaac proceeded to give himself a tour of her house.

Joshua had swimming lessons after that; he did so well.  He was really calm.  He even dealt well with getting water in his face the first two times.  (The third time didn't go so well.)

Monday: direction

As most days, we pulled two items out of the jar: "return pop cans" and "go to the pool".   The pop cans were good...our box was overflowing and they really needed to be returned.  Isaac really likes the machines too.  (Although, as always, I forgot to use the refund money on the shopping trip.)  Going to the pool didn't excite me quite as much because it was cool out, but we could make it happen.  Isaac was excited about it.

Then Betsy suggested going to a pool by their house since guests get in free on Mondays.  At first I was hesitant because it was cool and cloudy by us, but she said it was warm and sunny over by her.  We ended up eating lunch at home first and then going.

It was perfect!  The sun was out and the water was warm.  Isaac had on his puddle-jumper and does a vertical doggy paddle.  He said he was doing "oval-U-turns."  (Have I mentioned he really likes U-turns?)  Basically he would wade in the pool, then go over to the deeper end, get out over there, and walk back to the shallow part.  Rinse and repeat.  It tired him out enough to take a nap.  Hooray! We might have to do the lunch then pool thing again.

Let's see...I feel as though it was a really good day.

In the morning Isaac told me that I only get one kiss per day.  But then he gave me 26 more at bed time.

Joshua was rather clingy, which was a bit hard at the pool but means that he loves me.

I needed to pick up some Entermann's donuts today.  There was a sale at Meijer so there were only two variety pack boxes left.  I love the chocolate ones.  I debated, since finding them later would be annoying, but decided it would be worth it.

Sunday: birthdays

Apparently June 7 is a big day for birthdays; at least four people that I know well have one and I heard about three more.

So, Happy Birthday to those born on this special day.

Update:  I went to check on Isaac before bed and found him asleep with a robot book.  It was turned to the donut page, because what could be better than robots making donuts?  This book is sometimes referred to as the donut book, because he likes that page so much.  I expect that he didn't look at the rest of the book, just that page as he fell asleep.

Saturday: weed whackers

I hate weed whackers.

Friday: better

Today went better.  We drew "read some new books" and "clean window sils" from the jar.

Isaac was rather excited about the books...a bit surprisingly so.  He read them with breakfast.  Joshua went down for a nice long nap, and we spent some time reading them.  (And then I had time to clean the kitchen!)

We had lunch with Dad.  It was nice.  We got home and had rest time.  Isaac didn't nap again, and it was a bit obvious.  Oh well.  We took a ride to the mini library at the end of the street and got a few books, which we also read.  Apparently it was a reading sort of day.  It's good to have those because some days we don't get any reading in.

Isaac then thought that Joshua wanted to play balloons with him while I finished the windows.  It was nice.  I peeked in a few times and they were having fun.  1) the balloon room has probably been the best activity so far and 2) I love it when they play together.

Ben got home rather late, but then I made dinner even later by trying a new recipe.  It called for about 15 minutes on the grill, but it took way longer to get the internal temperature correct.  It was rather good though; I expect we'll do it again.  Especially since I still have about three dinners of tenderloin frozen.

Thursday: annoying

This week has been a bit annoying.  Just a bunch of little things - car issues, three-year-old drama, a messy house.  It's been a while since I've had an annoying week, so I guess this will just remind me how good life usually is.

Here was the conversation I had with Isaac this morning:

Amanda: If you know the answer to a question, what do you do?
Isaac: Ask.
Amanda: If you don't know the answer to a question, what do you do?
Isaac: Tell you or Dad or Joshua.
Amanda: Yup, that seems about right.

The why questions have been relentless, and they've been part of the problem.  I don't mind answering them, but when it is a question that Isaac should know the answer to, it gets absurd.

And there was this conversation tonight:

Ben: [asked a question I wasn't paying attention to]
Isaac: I don't know
Ben: [asked another question I wasn't paying attention to]
Isaac: Stop asking me questions!

I about died from laughter.

Wednesday: ups and downs

Today we drew "insect hunt" and "dust" from the hat.  I thought Isaac would enjoy dusting more...there's a cool mitten, it really doesn't take that long, etc.  No.  It felt like pulling teeth and involved tears.  Sigh.  He hasn't taken a nap the last few days and I can tell.

We found a bug while dusting.  Dumb ants.  Why do they think they can be in the house?

We went to the nature center to look for more bugs.  It sort of worked.  Joshua was kind of in a mood.  But we saw some water striders.

(Looking over the edge at the water striders.)

Another bug.  I also thought that taking pictures of the insects would be more appealing to Isaac, but he didn't seem to care.

At the end we sat by the pond for a few minutes.  There were a bunch of turtles.  Isaac and Joshua changed places.

Joshua sat up several times when it was nap time.  Needless to say, this is not conducive to sleeping.  I haven't seen him do this anywhere except in the crib yet.  Isaac started crying after Joshua woke up because "Joshua wants to watch Ipad" and I said no.  Because Isaac really wanted more Ipad time, even if it was playing games designated for Joshua.  Sigh.  There were a lot of tears over dumb things today.

We played racquetball this evening.  I'm right handed and have the racket in my right hand, but several times my left arm hurt after hitting the ball.  Ben told me I'm doing it wrong.

And finally, my smart move of the day: deconstructed spinach salad.  Isaac will happily drink his spinach, but won't touch it otherwise.  So we blended it up.  (He actually drank about half before racquetball and finished the rest with dinner.)  Then he just put the toppings in a bowl to eat.

Tuesday: life

This morning started with Isaac saying clever things, such as "I like socks when I'm not wearing them" and something else that we can't remember.

Today Isaac drew "make a volcano" and "declutter your room".  We started with the decluttering by taking many of his toys out of his bedroom.  I ignored his dresser since I know he still plays with all those toys.

He got all the stuff out and I was wondering about my plan.  The house was already a disaster; this wasn't helping.  But it was too late, everything was already out.  Then we put it all back in and Isaac had to decide if he wanted to keep it in his bedroom or not.  We disagreed about a few things, but for the most part we compromised or I let him do what he wanted...it is his bedroom after all.  He hit a minimum amount of stuff removed, so mission accomplished.

I had the volcano ready to go pretty early in the morning, but Isaac was having a good time playing with his sand, so we didn't get around to it.  He had his last swimming lesson.  My overall impression was "meh."  I felt like he did a lot of sitting on the edge of the pool, which is just cold.  We did go early so he was able to swim in a life jacket a bit, and I got him to do a few things that the instructor wanted him to do.  He doesn't like water in his face, and it's a problem.

When we got home he wanted to do the volcano.  It was late, but why not.  So we did.

Tuesday2: peas

While at the grocery store, I got some frozen peas for Joshua. I was hoping to get some green vegetables in him. It didn't work. However, Isaac ate a ton of frozen peas while I was getting dinner ready; he kept asking for more! So I guess it was still a good thing I got the peas.

Monday: 44 weeks

Joshua is 44 weeks old today.

His top two teeth are just starting to poke through.

Today we pulled "change everyone's sheets" and "make a rain cloud" out of the jars.  We didn't pull anything out until about 3pm, so it was good that the activities were pretty short.  (Also, Isaac suggested doing an activity instead of asking for TV.  It could have been that he saw the jars, but then he could see the TV too.  I'm considering it a win.)

Our first try at rain clouds didn't go so well because we had the wrong shaving cream.  I was going to the store later in the day anyway, so I picked up the correct kind of shaving cream.  I wish we had had a bit more time to go on the internet and look at the water cycle, but hopefully something still got across as I was talking about it.  If nothing else, it was a pretty fun thing to do.

After making blue rain we added yellow rain.  It turned green.

Sunday: 41 months

Isaac recently turned 41 months old.

 

Odd things - this month he has started to fake burp really loudly all the time.  The last day or two I've only heard it once, so I'm hoping it's on the way out.  He also has a sudden obsession with winning.  Everything is a race.  He gets rather sad when he doesn't win, but we're trying to show that it's ok to lose too.  The problem is that when he loses it suddenly turns into a tie.

New abilities - he's been dressing himself for a while - I forget exactly when that started.  He can sometimes get zippers done.  Dressing himself often leads to odd clothes combinations, but that can be learned later.  He really likes soft pants and shorts.  I am not allowed to call shorts pants...they're shorts.  He has started getting some of his own snacks, but still asks first.  He likes to make his own flavored water.  He's had two nights of wearing underwear to bed; there have been many nights that he has been dry.

Family - He's recently told me that my lap is the best place.  :D  He still loves hanging out with Ben.  He doesn't really play with Joshua much, but has asked for him to watch TV with him.  And knows how to help him stop fussing.  Isaac is also very conscientious that small items stay away from Joshua.

Attitude - We still have some rough days, but most of the time he's pretty laid back and happy.  And silly.  (Above he is drinking Cheerios from a bottle, his new favorite past time.)  He will often listen and obey, although it isn't always without "discussion" first.

Saturday: alternate realities

Say every time you made a semi-important choice an alternate reality was created, a reality in which you made the opposite choice.

That means there would be a reality in which you always made the right choice.  I wonder what that would look like?  But then there would be one that you always made the wrong choice.  Ugg.

(I don't feel like I've made a very wrong choice recently, it was just an interesting thought.)

Friday: a game, a surprise, and milkshakes

First off, we have a game.  Can you tell what Ben and I made over the last two days?  (Hint: it is based on a book.)

Secondly, as I was finishing our Duplo creation up I looked behind me to check on Joshua.  He was standing up!  This was the first time he had managed to pull himself to standing.

We drew "clean high chair" and "make milkshakes" out the jar today.  The high chair was more of a pain than it should have been because I wanted to clean it outside and it had just rained so I didn't know how to deal with holding Joshua.  But it is mostly clean.  We decided to wait on milkshakes until Ben was home, and then Cheryl was around too so it was a milkshake party.  We also used up the ice cream, which gives me some nice freezer space back.

Thursday: scooting

Joshua went all over this morning.  From the table to our bedroom door and then back to the steps.  Here's a quick video showing it, because it's pretty silly.  (Isaac and Ben are having a conversation about which side of his belt he will be wearing.)

We drew "do puzzles" and "clean duplos" from the jars.  I know, cleaning duplos isn't very work-like, but it gave Isaac something to do while I dealt with the boys' closets.

Wednesday: excersise

For the first time, on a work day, in 2.5 weeks, we didn't pull any activities out of the jar.  It was a mistake.  We had a work thing (make curry) and a fun thing (go to the playground), but the day still didn't quite seem to work.  Maybe in the future if we have such days I'll just say what we're going to do when Isaac pulls the paper out of the jar, instead of doing what is actually on the paper.

In other news, we just renewed our gym membership and went to play racquetball today.  I'm out of shape.  Big time.  But you have to start somewhere, right?  Also, I got to wear my workout shirt that I got two Christmases ago.  I was pregnant then, and then when I wasn't pregnant I wasn't working out.  It is super comfortable though!  It might make me more excited to work out.  And maybe more laundry will get done too, as an additional side effect.  One can hope.

Tuesday: 10 months

Joshua is 10 months old (soon)!  (The 28th is in the middle of the week...so I figured I could take his pictures anytime.)

Sleep: He is down to two naps a day, although sometimes it's just one.  He's often been sleeping through the night, but once or twice a week will wake up.  He goes to bed around 8pm and sleeps until about 6:30am.

Eating: He's been eating several new foods recently, and with summer coming on I'm hoping to add a bunch more.  Some new ones include watermelon, cheerios, and parsnips.

Moving: This past weekend I'd say he really starting moving.  It is a scoot while sitting, but has become very effective.  I just put the baby gate up today.  He is still pulling up to be on his knees and working on standing if we stand him up somewhere.

Attitude: Still very calm.  There are times he refuses to be put down though.  He is happiest at home.  He is serious when out and about, but not unhappy.  He enjoys playing with his toys.

Family: I think Ben is his favorite, but he likes me a lot too.  And Isaac makes him laugh the most.  Above is a picture when Isaac was coming into his bedroom.  Usually he bounces and does a silly sound, but this time he lunged.

Monday: Memorial Day

We went to the parade this morning.  I like the Memorial Day parade because it is just the right length and it is easy to get in and out.  And it is good to pay respect to those who have served in our country.  I briefly told Isaac about the purpose for the parade, but I'm not sure he got it.  The thing I forgot about this parade is how people stand up for most of it.  One of these years I'll get front row seats.  (Also, I took some pictures but my phone is acting up and won't let me access them right now.)

After the parade Joshua was downstairs in the big room and managed to scoot about 20 feet...that's the farthest he's gone yet. It took about 45 minutes, but every time I looked in on him he was somewhere else.

We spent this afternoon with Ben's family.

Isaac tried to play croquet, tried being the key word.

Then he decided he wanted to go on a boat ride.  He asked both grandparents and since nobody objected, that's what we did.

Joshua wasn't a fan of the life jacket.  He and Ben went inside shortly after this picture was taken.

He got to drive too.

Sunday: more balloons

Balloons are still being enjoyed this weekend.

In other news, I helped teach Isaac's Sunday School class today.  We learned about the Holy Spirit, since it is Pentecost.   Yup, trying to do that was about as hard as it sounds, although there was a good lesson laid out for us.  It compared the Holy Spirit to the wind and there were a bunch of activities.  Then we went outside to feel the wind...and it wasn't windy.  Luckily, we got some breeze at the very end.

Joshua is pulling himself onto his knees all the time now.  If you put him by something stable (or, for that matter, not stable), he'll start trying to climb it.

Saturday: comparison, flowers

Last night was was delaying going to bed and looking through old blog posts.  I found a handy one on what foods I had given to Isaac.  And realized that it might be time for another comparison picture.

Joshua's on the left, Isaac on the right.  The shape of their face seems a lot different to me.  And the hair. :)

Aunt C also planted some flowers for us today.  They're beautiful.  Much better than the weeds I've been growing the last few years. :)